Talking about the state of Nigeria gives me the greatest headache amongst all the endeavours I have ever been engaged. Methink this is so because, it is like a case of the magical word: abracadabra- the more you look, the less you see and the more you talk about it, the less you understand, or better still, the more confused one becomes. In any case, the Nigerian project is all ours and as such, I cannot completely insulate myself from talking about it, albeit, to chart a course for a better country for our successors, - our children.
I do not intend to talk much about this topic, given that we are all busy at our research. I shall discuss this matter in the following subheadings:
1. Infrastructure
The importance of adequate infrastructure for a country cannot be over-emphasized. Security and loyalty cum commitment to obeying laws largely depend on the adequacy of infrastructure. There seem to be some insensitivity of government towards the provision and or maintenance of basic infrastructure for the teeming populace. From portable water through transport, education to health-care infrastructure, there is no gainsaying the fact that everything is in a horrible, nay, a state of near-collapse. Lagos-Benin road used to be a journey of 4 hours for the about 300 kilometres stretch of road. That is now history. Today, if you may travel from Benin to Lagos by road, you must budget at least, 8 hours, courtesy of the deplorable state of the road. In the usual creative doggedness of Nigerians, merchants have pitched tents throughout a greater part of the road for making brisk business with commuters from sales and hawking of different wares, ranging from packaged sachet water, food, to vehicle spare parts (especially tyres and brake parts). The story is same wherever you go; whether you go from Sokoto to Gusau, through Shinkafi-Moriki-Kaura Namoda or you move through Gombe-Yola to Pontiskum. In the eastern and western states of the country, the government is quick to explain that the roads are what they are today due to heavy rains. I wonder if it is the heat of the sun or dry winds that erode or dilapidate the roads in the North-East and North-West of the country.
Some questions in my mind that have not been answered are: when was the last time these roads were truly maintained? What was their designed lifespan? What was the population and other factors they were designed with; are they still same as today? Didn’t the government have a projected plan (often called development plan) as regards these roads? Where goes the monies voted in annual budgets for the construction of new roads and maintenance of existing ones?
It is not only on road transport that Nigeria is groping in the dark. It is confusingly difficult to think that the 6th largest exporter of crude oil in the world and the 1st in Africa has no National carrier or a shipping line, where countries like Egypt, whose economy depends mainly on tourism, has its coffers fuelled and boosted with funds from aviation transport, flying all major routes in the world. If Egypt is senior to Nigeria in terms of civilization, what do we say of Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa or Ghana, who maintain aviation fleets? Failed states like Yemen, who depend on aids maintains an airline.
With respect to education, one needs not look too far. The latest ranking of Universities in Africa is there for anyone that cares to peruse. Siad Barre of Somalia was overthrown in 1991and since then, Somalia has been without an effective government and had been in fact declared a failed state and managed by UN, for the past 8 years. It is rather insulting to find that University of Mogadishu (the capital city of Somalia) ranks 29th, whilst the best ranking Nigerian University (University of Ilorin) ranks 32nd in Africa. There is virtually no university in Nigeria owned by the government, where lecture facilities, hostel/ accommodation facilities, library, laboratories could be proudly presented to visitors from fellow third-world countries such as Malaysia, either because they are gravely unstandardized, inadequate or archaic. The stench from lavatories fitted in academic buildings and staff office blocks (in campuses where academic staff have offices) can easily send people to hospitals. Yet, we are told we progressing. It is now a money spinning business for ex-national leaders to set up Universities, to milk the masses of any little money they are able to earn through hard work. And that leaves one with a question: should this be the reason why government has permitted a systematic demise of state-owned universities?
The health sector is not insulated from this decay too. Apart from the lack of drugs in the hospitals, basic amenities such as water and electricity are absent. Surgical operations that require the use of the theatre now have to be scheduled, in order to minimize cost of running generator and not as the individual’s health state demands. If a patient or his relatives feel the situation is too grave, they have to pay the price of financing the running of the generator and other facilities that can save such life. If a patient wants to “enjoy” some air in the heavily congested hospital wards, they may have to come to the hospitals with their private fans and generators to run same.
The judiciary is not spared of this systematic murder of the Nigerian State by Leaders who are clueless and visionless about what it takes to build a nation, but very vast in wealth of experience for the conversion of State wealth for personal aggrandisement. A manipulated judiciary is another area of retrogressive progress that Nigeria makes. The recent case involving the suspended President of the Appeal court, Justice Salami and the immediate past Chief Justice of the Federation plus his cronies, who, judging from many indices, were backed by the government is a clear demonstration that the masses cannot trust the independence and so called blindness of the judiciary. It is a manoeuvre that indicated that government “ophthalmologists” are at work in restoring sight to the judiciary, which is supposed to be blind normally, while blind beggars roam the streets of the country for want of attention and care.
What about water and electricity supply? The list is endless. And truly, a country with such leaders, who have led their country into such a state of abysmal decay in almost all spheres of life cannot woo investors from anywhere. Wherefore are we suffering these societal maladies? They are not unconnected with the programmes of government, which are often anti-masses and interest serving. This leads us to taking a critical look at a very few of these government programmes (I contend with people always that it is a misnomer for government programmes to be called policies).
2. Policy
From the days of the introduction of the so-called power-sharing formula into the governance of the country, it became clear that the federation veered off the right course to pursue white goose programmes. In October 1994, General Sani Abacha hiked the pump price of petrol from N3.25 to N11 per litre, promising, with Decree 25, to set up a Petroleum Trust Fund to distribute the gains from the increase on social and infrastructural projects. The board of the fund, headed by former Head of State, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, was eventually inaugurated on March 21, 1995.
The Fund began with an initial capital of about N60bn in 1996. Its all-encompassing mandate includes the rehabilitation of roads and waterways, educational and health institutions, providing textbooks and stationary, procuring essential drugs and vaccines, providing water supply systems, reviving crumbling agricultural sectors, connecting outlying areas to the national electricity grid, extending railways and telecommunications and ensuring consistent food supply. Till date, evidence of the works of this Trust is replete in our society, ranging from schools, roads, through hospitals. Why was PTF scrapped? On its disbandment, where has the money that was going to PTF and utilized for infrastructural improvement and maintenance suddenly disappeared to? There has not been a year since 2004 that the national budget has not been made with crude oil barrel prices 50% lower than the world market prices. Rather than Nigerians feeling the positive impact of such excess crude money, presidents develop programmes that oppress and suppress Nigerians and even encourage Nigerians to swallow they as bitter pills for the malaria Nigeria suffers from. We know that malaria is not acquired but caused by mosquitoes that feed on humans.
We know the story of Obasanjo versus Atiku over PTDF money sharing, not talking about the Bureau for Public Enterprise that has concessioned almost all state-owned enterprises and houses, including those inside Aso Rock, to people in the corridors of power and their friends. Today, we are told that government is not a good manager of business or rather anything good. I sigh.
Today we hear about sovereign national fund and the government is proud that western nations are happy about it. We should understand by now that whatever these western nations are happy about is never in the interest of the masses of our nation. Afterall, they are unhappy that we hate homosexuality, as that is incompatible with our cultural and religious norms and beliefs, but happy that virtually nothing good works in Nigeria, a condition that would make the Nigerian people perpetual slaves to them. God forbid.
The list is too long. Let me talk about what you and I can do, in order to turn the table around for the good and prosperity of our nation Nigeria.
3. The diaspora Nigerians’ role
It is interesting to note that these people who have led various aspects of the nation Nigeria to this state of near failure have schooled outside of the country, with most of them enjoying their education with Federal or State funds. VC’s that kill Universities, CMD’s who cripple hospitals, MD’s of parastatals and Agencies who run aground their places of assignment, - all have at one time been outside of Nigeria, just like you are today. They have seen and tasted what obtains outside and the living conditions that Nationals of other countries enjoy. They have had great opportunities to make a positive difference, but have rather chosen to form a cabal, selling Nigeria amongst their children, family and friends.
Your case must not be like theirs. There must be a resolve within our hearts to challenge the status quo. Enough is enough. We must all come out to defend the fact that Nigerians have Suffered Enough Already (SEA), and with such a movement, drown these spoilers of our nation who have forced the innovative Nigerian youth to practice criminality, trying to live in the course of resisting extermination. We must remind everyone of the oath we swore to right from our days in the primary schools, when we recited the National Pledge:
I pledge to Nigeria my Country
To be faithful, loyal and honest
To serve Nigeria with all my strength
To defend her unity
And uphold her honour and glory
So help me God.
Nigeria shall rise again with your resolve to so make it.
Thank you.
